Accidental drowning in a case where Zubeen Garg came to be dead was not accompanied by foul play, a state coroner court ruled in Singapore on Wednesday. According to the police investigation, the findings were similar to the conclusions, as indicated by the State Coroner Adam Nakhoda, who said the incident was a tragic accident.
Garg was in Singapore to attend a cultural festival and was to perform when the incident took place on September 19, 2025, when he was on a private yacht outing. As it was evidenced during the investigation, the singer had drunk before she was on the yacht and looked unbalanced. It was testified that on the way in the water he had put on a life jacket, but that he had thrown it off later on, claiming he was uncomfortable.
The court observed that when he came back to the yacht in a weakened condition, Garg tried to swim back although it was against his advice. He refused to put on a well-fitting life jacket despite being reminded several times by the people who were present. The investigators reviewed video footage that showed that he swam in a laboured and uncoordinated way most likely because of fatigue and weak judgment.
On the second swim, Garg is said to have turned back to the yacht after which he lost consciousness in the water. Other fellow passengers hurried and drew him into the plane and tried to resuscitate him through cardiopulmonary resuscitation but emergency services took him to Singapore general hospital where he was pronounced dead.
A post-mortem examination showed that the cause of death was drowning, and a toxicology showed a high concentration of alcohol in his body. His medical history was also examined by the court, and no trace of a seizure that caused the incident was indicated.